Am always surprised to see these abandoned buildings in prime locations; I would have thought that a developer would long have snatched up the land by now.posted by Melismata at 11:53 AM on January 31, 2012

I'm not sure the Freedman Home is that unusual - D.C. had two similar institutions, the Louise Home and the Dickson Home, and I imagine there were others. Given the number of financial panics in the 19th c., I'm guessing that there were many wealthy people who saw friends' fortunes change quickly.posted by ryanshepard at 12:06 PM on January 31, 2012

I love that building, and the architecture on the Grand Concourse in general. Mrs. Deadmessenger lived right across McClellan from there when she was little. What a shame to see it decaying to the degree that it has, although in a way, it's kind of a metaphor for the neighborhood in general.posted by deadmessenger at 12:23 PM on January 31, 2012

What a beautiful building. It's dismaying to see how the upper floors have been allowed to deteriorate. Surely they could have been rented out and maintained.

Technically, the home was simply for “aged and indigent gentlefolk…of culture and refinement,”

This reminds me of how, in Louisa May Alcott's Rose in Bloom, Rose, a wealthy young woman who takes up philanthropy as her life's work, sets up and operates what her male cousins insist on calling a "Home for Decayed Gentlewomen", in which elderly women who had seen better days but who now had little or no money could live decently for a nominal rent. Rose was dismayed to find that the gentlewomen were often ungrateful and in arrears with their rents.posted by orange swan at 12:43 PM on January 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Scouting NY is probably my favorite blog for abandoned porn. He has a really good eye for detail and integrates the scouting with a bit of a history lesson.

His visit to the missile silo is the best I have seen and includes some rare pictures that I have been looking for.posted by psycho-alchemy at 12:54 PM on January 31, 2012

Great find.

I love that library. I've always wanted to live in a place with a library that looks like that.posted by SisterHavana at 1:36 PM on January 31, 2012

I was expecting to see a pair of creepy twin girls in those corridors.posted by essexjan at 2:40 PM on January 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

Very fun to see those images. Thanks!posted by Cuke at 6:30 PM on January 31, 2012

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